Plastic waste is a terrible thing – it adversely affect lands, waterways and oceans, as well as all the living things that inhabit it. That’s why recycling is such an important and awesome thing to do.

But for the people behind the amazing creations below, it’s not recycling that they looked to, but rather ‘upcycling‘. Whether it’s household tools and utilities or works of art, these photos prove that you can make some pretty amazing things with a bit of creativity and some used and unwanted plastic bottles. Special thanks to BoredPanda for compiling this list.More

The saga of Lois Lerner’s supposedly defective hard drive has become a mini-scandal unto itself, as the implausible excuses offered for the refusal to hand over subpoenaed electronic documents twist into ever more fantastic configurations. Even if one was inclined to take the IRS’ excuses on faith, the degree of breezy contempt they showed toward federal record-keeping laws – in a matter they knew was erupting into hot-lava controversy – would be astonishing. The idea that this should all end with nothing more than a quiet admonition to do better next time is ridiculous.

The House Ways and Means Committee introduces us to the scratch deejays of the IRS, who laid down a mean groove upon the Tax Exempt Organizations Director’s magnetized platters:

Despite early refusals to make available IT professionals who worked on Lois Lerner’s computer, Ways and Means Committee investigators have now learned from interviews that the hard drive of former IRS Exempt Organizations Director Lois Lerner was “scratched,” but data was recoverable. In fact, in-house professionals at the IRS recommended the Agency seek outside assistance in recovering the data. That information conflicts with a July 18, 2014 court filing by the Agency, which stated the data on the hard drive was unrecoverable – including multiple years’ worth of missing emails.

“It is unbelievable that we cannot get a simple, straight answer from the IRS about this hard drive,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI). “The Committee was told no data was recoverable and the physical drive was recycled and potentially shredded. To now learn that the hard drive was only scratched, yet the IRS refused to utilize outside experts to recover the data, raises more questions about potential criminal wrong doing at the IRS.”

Indianapolis police officers have a message for the criminals and thugs of their city: This out-of-control violence has no place in our town. We will get out of our cars and confront you, whether you like it or not.

On July 5, 25-year-old African-American Major Davis Jr. allegedly shot and killed Indianapolis police officer Perry Renn. Davis’ family essentially blamed Renn for the violence, telling a local TV station that the officer should have stayed in his car, because he could see that Davis was armed.More

President Barack Obama pledged Friday to sign a bill passed by the House and Senate to legalize cellphone unlocking, in a rare example of tech policy advancing in Washington.

The House passed the legislation just hours earlier, and the Senate approved the measure last week. The bill reverses a Library of Congress decision that made it illegal for cellphone users to unlock their devices to be used on other networks.

“The bill Congress passed today is another step toward giving ordinary Americans more flexibility and choice so that they can find a cellphone carrier that meets their needs and their budget,” Obama said in a statement.

She was saying this in terms of her Congressional collegues. Anyone want to guess what she thinks the citizens should know?

(The Blaze) Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) lectured her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives that they “don’t have a right to know everything in a separation-of-powers government.”

“That is the difference between a parliamentary government and a separation-of-powers government,” she said.

Her outburst came during a Friday House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing where Republicans criticized the Obama administration for defying a subpoena calling on David Simas, director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, to appear before Congress.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said Friday that he sent a letter to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, charging him for all the illegals in his jail.

What happened next? The Ohio sheriff told Dana Loesch: “The federal government sends me a letter and said I violated a treaty of like, 1790.”

When Loesch asked for more information, Jones continued: “I sent him a bill for the prisoners that are in my jail. They came here illegally. I’ve not gotten any money from them, but I billed them so much. And I’ll tell you what I got in return: my life was threatened.”

A YouTube prankster offering two homeless men a chance to win $100 by arm wrestling each other says he unexpectedly witnessed the “most inspiring thing” he’s ever captured on video when the winner of the challenge selflessly offered to share his winnings.

“I know how it is, man,” one of the homeless men said. “Feed the needy, not the greedy.”

A teacher in South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of experience earns $33,600 per year, which is less than the average auto repair worker. This grievance against salary injustice is nothing new, of course, but this particular example comes to us from a new national study by the Center for American Progress, which details the chicken feed teachers are forced to subsist on as they altruistically keep your hopeless children literate.

Teachers are underpaid. In politics and also in everyday life, this is almost universally accepted. Everyone admires teachers. Everyone wants good teachers for their children. And naturally, liberals believe that contrasting these salaries will emphasize the irrationality and unfairness of the marketplace.

But it doesn’t. And the first and most obvious reason it doesn’t is that teachers actually do quite well for themselves when you consider the economic realities of their profession.

A 2012 study conducted by The Heritage Foundation found that workers who switched from private employment to teaching most often took an hourly pay increase, whereas most of those who left teaching for the private sector took pay decreases. More specifically, a few years back, using Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Compensation Survey numbers, the Manhattan Institute looked at the hourly pay of public-school teachers in the top 66 metropolitan areas in the country. It found that teachers pulled in about $34.06 per hour. Journalists, who have the vital job of protecting American democracy, earned 24 percent less. Architects, 11 percent less. Psychologists, 9 percent less. Chemists, 5 percent less.

Last week, the Democratic governor announced his offer to house up to 1,000 children at Camp Edwards military base on Cape Cod. Concerned for the children’s wellbeing, Patrick declared, “I think we are the kind of country and the kind of Commonwealth who can step up.”

The town of Bourne disagrees.

A wealthy and historic community at the mouth of Cape Cod, Bourne traditionally attracts vacationers and tourists, not refugees. Residents fear the influx of migrant children could change this forever.

New Castle - The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal crash in which a pedestrian was struck and killed earlier this afternoon on US13 in New Castle.

Preliminary investigation has determined that the crash occurred on Friday, July 25, 2014 at approximately 12:35 p.m. as Joanne M. Johnson-67 of New Castle, DE was attempting to cross the northbound lanes of South DuPont Highway US13 in the area of the Hooters Restaurant, located in the 100 block of South DuPont Highway, New Castle. She was crossing in a westerly direction from the right side of the roadway and stepped directly into the path of a northbound 2003 Honda Odyssey operated by Kasim Onal-51 year old male of New Castle, DE.

Kasim Onal the operator of the Honda and 2 male passengers ages 7 and 10, were all properly restrained and not injured.

Preliminary investigation has indicated that Johnson attempted to cross the northbound lanes of US 13 in a westbound direction from the right side of the roadway, not within a designated or marked crosswalk.

The 2 left lanes of US 13 northbound were closed for approximately 2 hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.

Troopers continue to investigate this crash and no charges have been filed.

Unknown age male,was killed in a boating accident around 10 am this morning
approx. 30 miles offshore. Subject was trying to remove a rope from the boat
propeller,when he was mauled by the props. Body was recently recovered by coast
guard and brought back to shore.

Despite some media hyperbole in the past two weeks, big brother isn’t coming for our arcade games – yet.

The only certain thing for now is that machines dispensing prizes worth $30 or more will be required to have a $50 license, if the proposed state regulations go into effect as-written in 2016.

What is unclear is exactly what kind of regulation the state’s Lottery and Gaming Commission will actually be doing on such games, which problematically blur the line between amusement and gambling.

“There are regulations on the books already that are not being enforced,” noted Jerry Greenspan, owner of the Sportland and Fun City arcades on the Boardwalk. “But now we feel like we’re the scapegoats, even though we were the most up-front about it to begin with.”

Just heard though the grapevine that Matheson Gas here in Salisbury just went union. By a vote of 8 no, 10 yes.

Ultimately, I wonder what that will do for prices we as customers will have to pay for propane, welding and other gases and supplies. Hmmm.

Understand that there were some complaints about overtime, on call, the usual stuff. Well, it seems that if you don't like something about your job, either tough it out or leave, you don't have the right to a job.

I am also concerned if it is an open shop, Maryland isn't a right to work state, so will the no voting folks have to pay dues, and if the raises they are hoping for will even cover the dues?

Anyway, be interesting to see what happens, may have to take my home and my business needs elsewhere.

Rebecca Pleins and her husband were on a water taxi in Baltimore when they got the first call at 8:30 p.m. — they missed it.

Fifteen minutes later, they got a call again.

The staff at Motel 6, where the North Carolina couple was staying with their six dogs, had gotten complaints about noise, entered their room while they were out, found the dogs without food or water, considered them thin and thus concluded they were neglected.

“I said we would come and get our dogs and leave,” Pleins said. “As soon as I said that, they transferred me to a police officer who had already been in my room.”

The Pleins rushed to the motel, fearing their dogs would get taken away, but at one point, once they had time to think, Pleins said they wondered if the police even had the right to enter their room without a warrant. The situation also led to the authorities finding and confiscating their firearm.

This whole issue raises the question: Are hotel and motel rooms protected under the Fourth Amendment and if so, how much?

Green embezzled the funds while working as a $56,000 a year administrative assistant at the Association of American Medical Colleges. The association represents medical schools and teaching hospitals and administers the test known as the MCAT used in medical school admissions.

Any beachgoers that enjoy puffing away on a cigarette while they sit on the sand or frolic in the surf may have to get their nicotine fix elsewhere, as Oregon has proposed a ban on smoking that would include all 362 miles of beaches on its coastline.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has followed up an earlier ban on smoking at most state park properties with this proposal, partly because the agency is worried that all those smokers pushed out of parks will come to the beach, reports the Associated Press.

The move would also serve to cut down on litter on the beaches and ensure consistent rules throughout the entire state parks system, an agency spokesman added.

As if the prick of a guilty conscience isn’t enough every time you pass those dusty gym shoes, someone has gone and created a device users willingly wear that give out electric shocks if you’re not sticking to your exercise regime.

The wearable prod/fitness tracker is called the Pavlok, as its creator thinks the wristbands can be used to train those who wear them with negative reinforcement.

“Research shows that consistency is the key to forming a habit. When you use Pavlok to stick to your goals, you’ll find that they become easier and eventually, automatic,” the Pavlok site reads, via The Telegraph. “At that point, use Pavlok to train your next habit and keep up your transformation into a better you.”

Maryland saw a 33 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time last year, state officials said Thursday as they announced a renewed focus on fighting the rise of fentanyl-laced heroin.

A report released by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found there were 252 total drug overdose deaths from January to March, and 148 were related to heroin. Gov. Martin O'Malley underscored the urgency of the problem by noting Maryland had only three fentanyl-related deaths in June 2013, while the number climbed to 17 last month. Fentanyl is a powerful narcotic that can kill by inhibiting breathing.

"So while I'd like to stand here and tell you that this is getting better, it's not," O'Malley said. "It's getting worse, which is why we are redoubling our efforts."

Summertime means fresh peaches, especially in small towns like Berlin where peaches are abundant and steeped in the town’s history. In honor of all things peach, the Town of Berlin will celebrate the 6th Annual Berlin Peach Festival on August 2. Loved by locals up and down the Eastern Shore, it’s a tasty local event that all of us look forward to. Berlin has such a colorful history and the peach festival serves as a reminder of where America’s Coolest Small Town truly comes from… (And gives us an excuse to eat copious amounts of peach pie, #noshame).

Each year during the first weekend of August, locals and tourists flock to the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum and Main Street to celebrate Berlin’s heritage. According to Taylor House Museum curator Susan Taylor, the idea for the event was born as they were tossing around ideas for events to host at the Taylor House Museum. After discovering some old Harrison Nursery pamphlets, they discovered that annual peach festivals were once quite popular in the area. This year the festival is scheduled for August 2nd from 11AM to 4PM with a rain date of August 3rd. The Taylor House Museum is proud to announce that they will have over 33 vendors this year with 19 of them selling crafts, 8 of them offering foods and baked goods, and 6 demonstration vendors, which will add a different “DIY” aspect to the festival this year.More

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is weighing giving refugee status to young people from Honduras as part of a plan to slow the influx of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, White House officials said Thursday.

The plan would involve screening youths in Honduras, one of the world's most violent nations, to determine whether they qualify for refugee status. Similar in-country screening programs were set up in East Asia after the Vietnam War and in Haiti in the 1990s.

Chincoteague VA - The United States Coast Guard is hosting an Open House on Tuesday, July 29 from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The public is welcome to tour Coast Guard Station Chincoteague, visitors will see the boats used by station personnel for verifying aids to navigation and conducting search and rescue missions. Boats stationed at Coast Guard Station Chincoteague include a 47’ Motor Life Boat (MLB) and the 24’ Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water (24 SPC-SW).

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet both Active Duty Coast Guard personnel as well as members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Active Duty personnel will be providing information on marine radio operation and proper radio etiquette. The Auxiliary member will be displaying the latest in Personal Flotation Devices and providing a knot tying demonstration. Additional Auxiliary members will provide information on Vessel Safety inspections and the Safe Boating training classes offered to local residence.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary mascot, Coastie the Safety Boat, will be attending the Open House with a variety of boating safety messages for the public, especially children. Virginia Marine Resources Commission officers will be available to answer questions about Virginia State boating laws and fishing regulations.

The open house is a great opportunity for visitors to learn more about the valuable mission of the United States Coast and the opportunities to serve in either Active Duty or Volunteer role.

The Coast Guard Base is located at 3823 Main Street in Chincoteague, south of the bridge traffic light. Handicap parking will be available just inside the gate. General parking is available adjacent to the base at Taylor Marina and on the east side of Main Street.

The Maryland State Board of Education voted unanimously yesterday to accept guidelines for the state’s student code of discipline that can serve as a model for local school systems to use when developing their own discipline codes.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) presented the new framework for school systems to use as they review and revise their local district codes of discipline, and develop and establish new discipline-related policies. These guidelines include behavioral expectations for all members of the community who have a direct impact on creating healthy learning environments and promoting student success. They also were designed to reduce disparities in discipline based on race and disability.

While it is reasonable to assume that the river was used by Native Americans for hundreds, if not thousands, of years before the modern era, life on the river as we now know it started around 1665 when Colonel Isaac Handy settled on it’s shores about 3 miles south of present day Salisbury. His land was a grant known as Pemberton’s Good Will and is still preserved by Wicomico County as Pemberton Park.

Colonel Handy set up his first business at the fork of the river where the present Main St. bridge now crosses the river in Salisbury. At that time, the site was known as Handy’s Landing. It remained so for the next 60 years when the name was changed to Salisbury after the town in Great Britain of the same name.

The river was deep enough in 1730 for ocean going vessels to navigate as far as New Nithsdale, located at the junction of the Wicomico River and Rockawalkin Creek. Lighter ships could come up as far as Cotton Patch Wharf, presently a residential area on Riverside Drive in Salisbury and many unloaded up Tony Tank Creek located just south of there.

The river was dammed in two places in Salisbury, significantly adding to the value of Salisbury as a center of commerce in the early days.

The earliest dam was established on the east prong in 1743 by William Venables. The power generated by this dam was used to operate a grist mill for more than 150 years. The adjoining property was known as Mill Grove and on it the owner had his home. The spot where the mill was located is currently occupied by the Wicomico Regional Library on South Division St. The dam was where the current South Division St. bridge now crosses the east prong of the river. The dam burst in 1909, letting out most of the water contained in Humphries Lake, which had been formed by the damming of the river so many years ago, and ending any mill operations generated by the dam. Until the dam burst, there was no East Main St. The area covered by Humphries Lake can be visualized today by following the depression of land between South Division St. on the west, Route 50 to the north, and the Salisbury City Park to the east and south.

The second dam was constructed in 1750 by a Mr. Bailey. This dam was located on the north prong where Isabella St. crosses the river. He built two mills on either side of the dam. On the east side he built a grist and planing mill and on the west side he had a saw mill.

Many lumber mills sprang up along the river. The abundance of old growth pine in the area contributed much to the economy with the river as a means to move it. The first lumber mill was built by George W. Parsons. It was located on the north side of the river where a ship building business now exists.

George Parsons’ brother, Milton A. Parsons, also had a saw mill and a grist mill about two miles downriver from Salisbury. The Parsons brothers’ mills were the first mills to operate in Wicomico County.

The first effort to clear the river bottom in Salisbury was done in 1910. At that time the mud flats on the north prong were removed. In 1927 $215,000 was authorized by the U.S. Congress to dredge the river bottom. Apparently, this was not sufficient because another $272,000 was secured from the Federal Government in February, 1939, to dredge the river to a depth of 13 feet with a channel 150 feet wide.

The first harbormaster was Charles E. Harper. He had been mayor of Salisbury from 1904 to 1910. He had such a keen interest in the Wicomico River in Salisbury that he kept records of vessels using the river and their cargo for a period of 42 years. So, on July 1, 1931, he officially became the harbormaster.

For many years, the only method of crossing the river was where the Main St. bridge is now located. There was originally a pivot bridge across the river there. This was eventually replaced by the current drawbridge. There was also a bridge over the east prong connecting the downtown area to the area south of the river by way of Camden St. There were many wholesale seafood outlets near this bridge. In the early days of Salisbury, what we know now as Main St. was called Bridge St. and Market St. was named Dock St. So, the names of the streets reflected the importance of the river to Salisbury’s existence.

ASSATEAGUE — At least two wild horses on Assateague became ill after raiding campsites and eating human food, further illustrating the importance of limiting interaction between humans and the wild animals on the barrier island.

Ironically, just a week after Assateague officials posted a picture on their Facebook page about a wild horse named Chama Wingapo raiding a tent for food, the mare was one of two horses reported to be acting ill on the barrier island this week. Chama Wingapo was reportedly showing symptoms of collick in the bayside campground, but she was treated successfully. A group of campers in the bayside campground area reported Chama Wingapo, or N2BHS-AI by its alpha-numeric name, was part of a larger band that came into their campsite while they were eating breakfast.

The campers quickly left the area, but Chama Wingapo stayed behind and enjoyed a hearty, human breakfast. An inventory of what was missing after the horse left the campsite revealed Chama Wingapo ate a whole bag of sugar and a stack of maple pancakes along with other random food items. Assateague officials this week characterized the horse’s condition as human induced illness.

On July 24, 2014, Luther Lashawn Brothers, age 34, was sentenced to 25 years in the Maryland Division of Corrections, without the possibility of parole, for being in Possession of Heroin with the Intent to Distribute. The Defendant is ineligible for parole because he has two prior narcotic distribution convictions from Virginia. The Defendant was found guilty, following a bench trial in the Wicomico County Circuit Court, by the Honorable Raymond E. Beck on April 30, 2014.

The Defendant was convicted for being in possession of 41.5 grams of heroin. At trial, the State’s expert witness testified that this amount of heroin, if broken down to the smallest level, would provide 4,150 individual bags of heroin with a street value of nearly $83,000.

“It has been well publicized that heroin use and abuse is a serious problem for Wicomico County. Removing heroin dealers from our streets is but one way that we are combating this problem.” said Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello.

State’s Attorney Maciarello commended the members of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, including Cpl. Williams and DFC Richardson, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation of this case. Mr. Maciarello also thanked Mr. Andrew Illuminati, Assistant State’s Attorney, who prosecuted this case.

For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or visit www.wicomicosao.com.

On July 25, 2014, Bradley Aaron Hill, age 29, of Salisbury, Maryland, was convicted and sentenced on one count of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. A Wicomico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Hill to fourteen years of active incarceration in the Maryland Division of Corrections. The total sentence imposed was twenty years with all but fourteen years suspended. Thus, upon his release, Hill will have 3 years of supervision by the Division of Parole and Probation.

Hill had been pending charges related to his November 4, 2013 arrest for drug offenses. On that date, officers from the Salisbury Police Department’s Safe Streets Unit and the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit were on patrol in Salisbury when they observed a subject, who was subsequently be identified as Hill, leave a gas station only to drive to another gas station nearby. At neither location did the officers observe Hill pump any gasoline into his vehicle. Hill then began to leave the second gas station at which time he observed the officers in their vehicle pass his location. Hill then turned around and re-entered the gas station parking lot. Thinking this behavior strange, officers pulled into the gas station parking lot to approach Hill in order to speak with him. As the officers approached Hill’s vehicle, Hill began to exit his vehicle and, at the same time, Hill discarded a number of small blue capsules onto the ground. This was observed by the officers, who immediately recovered the capsules and found them to contain heroin. After Hill was arrested for the heroin capsules, a search incident to that arrest led to the recovery of multiple additional capsules from Hill’s person and vehicle.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Salisbury Police Department’s Safe Streets Unit and the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Mr. Maciarello also thanked James L. Britt who prosecuted Hill.

For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or visit www.wicomicosao.com